Jerry Brown, importer-distributor for Line One Spectra has caught a lot of big tuna in his day. On one trip he had two tuna over 300 pounds, not an easy mark to match or beat. But on the Royal Polaris trip that returned to Fisherman’s Landing March 31, Chartermaster Brown had a story that was equally impressive.

“I was fishing with a small tuna of 15 pounds on a 14/0 hook,” said Jerry, “when this huge shark-thing ate it. I got it up to the boat in about 15 minutes. It weighed at least a ton, and Captain Santiago agreed with that. It came in like a puppy dog on my T-Rex rod, like other sharks do sometimes.”

The mystery fish may have been a megamouth or basking shark, according to those who got a look. No one had a camera handy, and the giant fish departed soon after heaving to.

The biggest fish decked on the trip was a 200-pounder caught by Morris Newton, from “all over.” Morris said he lives in a motor home, and spends his time in Montana and Nevada. His cow bit on a “double trouble” sardine rig under the kite. He used 7/0 Super Mutu hooks, 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra, with a Penn 50 SW reel and a Calstar 6460 XXH rod, and brought the tuna to gaff in 30 minutes.

“I knew he was big right away,” said Newton. “I didn’t see him hit, but everyone else did. I guess I was chatting. He came up in back of the boat.”

Morris wasn’t in the jackpot.

Don “Big Daddy” Burnside of San Diego won first place, for a 196.4-pounder that bit “…on the slide, with a sardine on a 5/0 ringed Super Mutu hook” Don used 130-pound Momoi fluorocarbon leader and 130-pound hollow Line One Spectra of a new type. He said he used a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

“It was about a half-hour fight,” said Burnside. “He was like a Clipperton fish; he was tough.”

Burnside said about half the wahoo catch, which was a good one, came on bait.

Frank Harbin of Chico won second place for a 185-pounder that ate a sardine. Bob Garber of Orange won third place for a 180-pound yellowfin that bit a flying fish under the kite. Garber said he used 130-pound Momoi and Line One Spectra, with a Penn 80 W reel and a Seeker 6463 XXXH rod.

Rockfish Biting Hard, Fast

Shogun returned under Bruce Smith’s hand after a three-day rockfishing trip to spots below San Martin Island. Smith docked at Fisherman’s Landing March 31, and remarked that the fish were mostly red rockfish and ling cod. The lings won the daily jackpots, he said, and ranged up to 18 pounds or so. His 28 anglers had limits.

Pacific Queen also returned the same morning from a weekend rockfishing trip. Owner-skipper Bill Cavanaugh reported very good fishing for his anglers.

Andy Cates docked Red Rooster III at H&M Landing March 27 after a trip to the Hurricane Bank and the Buffer Zone around the Revillagigedos Islands. The trip was 16 days with a fly back option from Cabo San Lucas, with 15 anglers, and produced seven tuna over 200 pounds.

The big one came to Joe Cho of Fontana. His best fish ever weighed 239.9 pounds, and bit a mackerel on a 7/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He used a Penn 50 SW reel and a Calstar 6455 XXH rod to do the job in 40 minutes.

Ross Wheeler of Wichita, KS won second place for a 222.6-pounder. Ross said it came on the kite, with a flying fish bait pinned to a 10/0 Mustad 7691 hook. Wheeler fished with 130-pound Jin Kai line and 130-pound Line One Spectra on a Penn 70 VSW reel on a Calstar 755 H rod.

Seung Woncha Cha of LA won third place for his 221-pound yellowfin. He got it with a sardine on a 6/0 Super Mutu hook and 130-pound Izorline on the boat’s rood and reel.

“It’s my best fish,” he said, “and I got him in 30 minutes, on my first long range trip.”

Lee Bull of Conroe, TX enjoyed a tussle with a 218.9-pounder after it bit a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu hook with 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Izorline Spectra on an Avet 50 reel and a Super Seeker 6463 XXXXH Rail Rod.

Ben Kita of LA caught a 215.3-pounder, but wasn’t available for tackle information.

Don Rolstad of Bonita found a 209.5-pounder with a sardine on an Eagle Claw 8/0 hook. He fished with 100-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon tied to 130-pound Blackwater fluorocarbon and 125-pound Spiderwire on a Penn 50 SW reel and a six-foot rod. He got his fish in an hour and ten minutes.

Art Green, Newport CPA, took a 200.1-pound tuna with a sardine on a 5/0 Super Mutu hook tied to 130-pound Izorline and 130-pound Line One Spectra. He fished with a Penn 70 VSW reel and a Seeker 6463 XXH rod.

The Red Rooster III will be in port doing boat work until she sails again May 31, on the sold-out “June Heat” trip.

Upcoming Spring Surface Fishing

Word comes from H&M Landing that a pair of trips are scheduled for April that will target yellowtail and albacore.

Top Gun 80 will go for a day and a half trip leaving at nine p.m. April 4; returning at six a.m. April 6. Cost is $195.

Sea Adventure 80 will depart April 18 at eight p.m. on an exploratory trip for albacore, returning April 20 at eight a.m. Cost is $180.

To book these trips, call the landing at (619) 222-1144.

The Double Diamond, Baby Ulua, Treazure

The Fred Hall Tackle and Boat Show is ongoing at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and will be open through Sunday. Somewhat smaller than the recent show at Long Beach, the Del Mar show is one of two major events for San Diego County; the other being the Day at the Docks festival, scheduled this year for April 20 at the San Diego landings.

The Hall Show at Del Mar was into its second hour when Paul Sweeney and I arrived and followed the long pathway into the tackle show though numerous buildings full of boats. There were boats of all types, from pontoon bass/party boats to catamarans, 13-foot center console skiffs, kayaks and deep-V ocean-going cruisers. You want a boat that fishes? Take a look at the Del Mar show.

There were a few good deals and new items we spotted as we walked through the main building where the tackle, resort and travel booths are located.

We stopped to chat with Tony Paino at his AA’s plastics display. He showed us an interesting new swim bait, which he calls the “Double Diamond Swimmer.” It has a deep-V body and a big lobtail, which he said made it track well, give great action and operate weedlessly when properly set up.

The Double Diamond Swimmer comes in many color configurations, and is just getting to market. Tony said a French operation had bought the first 20,000 units.

“It’s the finest swim bait design we’ve made,” remarked Paino. “It was designed to swim on a computer.”

At the Maxima booth, pro-staffer Mike Nemec showed us new co-polymer lines under the name “Treazure.”

These have very low visibility, he said, and they’re best for fresh water applications and with spinning gear, with a low twist factor. They’re also more abrasion resistant.
Diamond Valley Lake guide Mark Franco was working at the Aim Marine display, showing off the Sun Chaser pontoon rigs like the one he used on the lake, where he’s been a trout record-holder.

“Fishing is just starting to look pretty promising,” said Mark, who favors working on the big fish in the lake with one and two-pound test line.

A new DVD with Mark Franco and Bill Roecker bringing in (and releasing) two to six-pounders is in the edit process, and will be released in the next few weeks.

Turner’s, Fisherman’s Landing, Angler’s Choice and other tackle sellers were hard at work, pushing new items and special bargains just for the show. Many anglers go to the show specifically for the purpose of finding the right deal on some need equipment; a strong point for the event over several decades.

At the Fisherman’s Landing store we saw Rock Cod Rick showing off some new AFTCO shirts, and tackle manager Doug Kern had some colorful surface jigs from Salas and Tady; the right stuff for spring yellowtail fishing.

Bill Boyce has become the premier photographer of the show over many years. He has lovely shots from above and below the surface, and some very nice tiles.

He sells his photos matted, with frames, or on the tiles. Boyce is an excellent fisherman, and wraps a mean-looking rod as well.

We talked a bit with Dave Wirth, maybe the west coast’s best sculptor of fish. Dave’s wood carvings are special for colorful accuracy and for rare woods. Each piece has a story, and Dave is now working with metal and special finishes.

Wirth said he was doing very well in Key West, and would likely take his main operation to Florida. We can only hope his work will remain available here in the southland, where he got his start, and where he has many friends who appreciate his unique talent.

The Baby Ulua is a new 10-foot light jig stick from Seeker.

“It’s a surface iron stick,” said Seeker president Joe Pfister, as pro-staffer Bill Casper Jr. showed the long rod for the camera.

“This one is the number six prototype, made from high modulus graphite and S glass. When we’re done with it, line test up to 30 pounds or so will work with it, which should make it just about right for surface jigging for yellowtail.”

We saw Ben Secrest and Jack Nilsen at the Accurate booth. Ben heads for Florida after this show, and Jack said he and Del Marsh are going to spend 20 days in New Zealand, fishing and driving from place to place in a motorhome.

Ben said the new reels mentioned at the Long Beach Show were ready, but hadn’t quite got to Del Mar yet. Look for pictures to appear here ASAP.

On the way out we saw the All Outdoors Radio booth. Principals John Grabowski and Ed Zieralski were meeting and greeting there.

Ed had a fresh new tom turkey mount to show for the many days he’d spent trying to entice one of the big birds within range.

“We are on our way to Cabo San Lucas to drop off the fly -home passengers,” wrote Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates March 23. “After a tough battle with bad weather and scratch fishing, a little at each place ended up with our high points at various places. With the best wahoo fishing outside the guys got a sample of the fast pace action that the legendary wahoo can produce. They were eating the trolling lures, Catchy Tackle Lures and the bait on the light 27-pound wire leaders. There was also a taste of bigger tuna to go with that fish, tuna up to 200 pounds on anchor-style fishing.

“The inner Islands brought a couple of standout days with some quality fish. Some days were long and uneventful, other days we had good action and trophies to go with it. Top fish for the trip met the mark of 240 pounds for Joseph Cho; Seung Cha got a 225, Lee Bull took a 228, Ross Wheeler caught a 215, and Ben Kita found a 221. Art Green landed a 207 and there were 45 other tuna over 100 pounds up to 195. Not a lot for the entire trip but enough for everyone to have a chance at a big fish and some guys succeeded. With 70 wahoo spread around for our 15 anglers, everyone got a chance to get a few of those as well before the weather came up. The weather the last 3 days has been great and really helped things out as far as morale and the overall trip.

The Royal Polaris is on her annual 18-18 day trip, meaning she’s out for 18 days with a limited load of 18 anglers. She’s due back at the dock on March 31.

“Happy Easter to all of our Royal Polaris friends and families,” read the report from the boat March 23. “Yesterday, we had a fun day of fishing, with 22 wahoo, and 12 tuna being boated. The big tuna of the day was caught by Maury Newton. It is just a little over 200 lbs. We have excellent weather and flyer fishing was just fabulous. It only took 30 minutes for 2 full tanks. So we are loaded for bear and we hope to put them to good use tomorrow.”

Hall Show Opens Wednesday

Southern California anglers will be waiting at the gates when the Del Mar edition of the Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat Show opens Wednesday afternoon at 2 PM. The show has been a favorite of San Diegan’s for many years and draws many interested boaters and most of the county’s salt water anglers.

Free seminars, demos, and three-quarters of the world’s known jerky sellers will be among the presentations. Open until Sunday evening, the show offers fishermen a chance to give the factory reps some personal input, and to see what’s coming onto the sport fishing market in the spring of 2008. There’ll be a report here after we get a look at the event.

Ranch Fishing Is Way To Go

Never mind all that planning and hard fishing just to find a trophy marlin or tuna. No need for expensive guides, boat rides, making bait or paying for pricey resorts. The new issue of Sport Fishing Magazine has a two-page ad for the Lone Star Blue Water Fishing Ranch, a fabulous place where you can pop in, step into a cruiser and get a guaranteed hookup on a grander marlin or a 500 to 800-pound bluefin tuna. Want something more exotic? How about an opah, a spearfish or even more rare, an oarfish?

Not only that, but the Ranch is petitioning the IGFA for a new category of records, including penned fish. Sound good? Just you and your cruiser, fishing in the specially-stocked pens at The Ranch. And it’s just offshore from Houston, so you can get in and out by plane in a jiffy.

Sound too good to be true? Well, it must be factual, because it’s in the April issue of Sport Fishing Magazine, and it’s online, at it's new site. The Ranch has a Texas Commerical Wildlife Park License #202-WP466-3D.

Rates start as low as $3,800 per day. Lemme at those pens! I wanna book for April 1!

Andy Cates has taken his Red Rooster III anglers from the Hurricane Bank to Clarion Island, reports Christina at the boat’s office.

He told her the weather had finally come down. FishingVideos.com will post any news of his catch when it becomes available.

Don’t I Know You?

A 23-inch lake trout caught by a Wyoming fisheries biologist caught a fish he stocked in Flaming Gorge Reservoir 25 years ago according to the latest Fish Rap, edited by Brandon Cotton.

Bill Wengert knew the 23-inch Mackinaw was one he’d stocked in Flaming Gorge Reservoir when he worked for Wyoming Game and Fish, because the right pelvic fin was clipped. He said he was either clipping fins or driving the barge back then, when the fingerling went into the water.

The small white shark was almost six feet and 140 pounds when released. One of the tags he’s sporting is archival, and will pop off July 2 to beam up its information. Another tag will stay longer aboard the shark, hopefully to tell of “Whitey’s” water temperature experiences and diving depths.

Barbara Block, principal investigator with the TOPP project, is in charge of the event. So far, this particular shark has traveled the length of Baja, staying close to the coastline. The Times said the shark’s progress can be followed by going to Topp.org and clicking on the TOPP data page.

Boater Dies After Ray Strike

From Marathon, FL the AP reports on MSNBC that a woman, 57, was killed by a spotted eagle ray, a type with a stinger, when it jumped and fell on her while she was aboard a boat.

She was hit on the upper body. The report said such rays can reach 17 feet and 500 pounds, but weren’t known to be aggressive.

In a follow-up piece March 21, the AP reported in the San Diego Union-Tribune that the woman’s name was Judy Kay Zagorski of Pigeon, MI. She was riding with her father. The boat was going about 25 mph when the 75-pound ray struck her, and both woman and fish were killed instantly.

Two other people have been hit in the heart with the barbed stingers of rays in the past couple of years. One man, 82-year-old James Bertakis of Lighthouse Pt. in Florida, survived after the bard was removed. Steve Irwin, the “Crocodile Hunter,” did not. He died in 2006.

Bill Roecker’s Oceanic Productions is 20 years old this year. In April of 1988 Roecker’s new company began producing fishing and hang gliding videos. Oceanic Productions was selected as the name for the fishing side; Flyin’ Pig Productions for hang gliding.

It was ten years later to the month that FishingVideos.com came along. The online section has since come to dominate the other divisions. In 1990 Roecker published “Fresh One! Standup Fishing: Methods, Tackle & Techniques.” The book was intended as a primer or textbook for new and experienced anglers alike. It has sold well over the years and now only a few dozen copies remain in stock.

The sport of hang gliding suffered inroads from newer forms of flying: ultra-light aircraft and paragliders (parachutes intended for gliding rather than life-saving). But hang gliding perseveres, and Torrey Pines, where Bill flew daily for 20 years, remains open as a city flight park. Roecker released “Spring Soaring,” a DVD about flying at the park, in 2002. It can be found in the products section with the fishing videos. Bill is now retired as a hang glider pilot.

The story of a ten-day tuna trip to Alijos Rocks aboard Excel also features some of the wildest dorado fishing ever, and the tuna can be described as “quality” fish, with gorgeous golden sides and back-breaking power.

Check out the Hot Zone--join Bill Roecker, the "Fabulous Fleck Brothers," Jan Howard of Braid Products and other expert long rangers, and cast your bait into THE HOT ZONE!

Four new Bill Roecker Standup Fishing DVDs will be released in the next few months, featuring: Giant yellowfin at Hurricane Bank and off Clarion Island on Q-105; Fall fishing down Baja aboard the spanking new Intrepid; Yellowtail surface jigging and bait fishing at Cedros Island on the Shogun; and standup fishing (believe it!) for lunker rainbow trout up to six pounds, with one and two-pound line, at Diamond Valley Lake with guide Mark Franco.

While some companies are getting long in the tooth at two decades, here at OP, we’re just getting started! We’ve added computer graphics artist and editor Paul Sweeney’s talents, and the company can now also produce production ads for print or video, as well as brochures, decals, banners, etc.

The trip leaves June 19, and returns the 27. Albacore, yellowtail and possibly yellowfin action at Alijos are likely to be the targeted species. There’ll be gobs of free samples, prizes and awards for anglers on this trip, which is filling up fast. Call the Rooster office at (619) 224-3857 to see if you can still get on.

FishingVideos.com continues to bring you the latest and most accurate news of southern California saltwater fishing, the best fishing photography and video in the southland, and the most entertaining and informative fishing videos anywhere. We’d like to thank you, our readers and viewers for that. We hope you’ll be with us for the next couple of decades as well!

Red Rooster Report

“Our first day brought decent wahoo fishing," reported Red Rooster III skipper Andy Cates March 15, "and just a few tuna to go with them. (We had) Good conditions and sign of tuna. The sharks look to be a big problem for us, at least today.

"We did not get in here until mid morning so maybe we missed a shot on tuna. We will find out tomorrow. With the amount of life today we are hoping the sharks will back off and give us chance to fish. We ended the day with five tuna from 80 to 175 pounds and 40 wahoo. The wahoo definitely saved us, but that won't last, so we need the tuna to get on the bite.”

The next day Cates told the Red Rooster office that the first cow was aboard, a 215-pounder caught by Ross Wheeler of Coronado on the kite.

So what’s the next big show? Since the Del Mar Hall Show won’t open until March 26, we can hope for a spring yellowtail bite to begin.

Warm weather and bait could set one off in a hurry, anywhere from Catalina Island to Ensenada.

If the Coronados bite (watch for that one to show north-migrating fish at The Rockpile, a few miles below the islands, first) it could jump-start the San Diego day fleet. Both La Jolla and the offshore islands have offered some big yellows over the past couple of months. Squid can make a lot of good things happen.

There’s been some good ‘tailing near East Cape and La Paz.

Jonathan Roldan reports very good catches at Bahia de los Muertos, at the rock on the top end of the bay. No secret about how anglers are getting hooked up, he says:

“This isn't rocket science fishing… a live bait pinned on a hook and dropped over the side on a drift is about all it has been taking. Not much complicated about that other than trying not to let the rod get jerked from your grip! Most times, no lures or weights are used as the fish are relatively shallow…”

Halibut Derby Final Announcement

(Press Release)

The Marina Del Rey Halibut Derby is scheduled for April 5 and 6. A lot of kids compete in the derby in a separate youth division along side their moms and dads but more importantly the proceeds from the MDR Halibut Derby go to support the MDRA Youth Fishing program which hosts over 1,000 kids every year. Every youth fishing trip is memorable but one stands out more than all the others, when 2 years ago a group of youths in protective custody aboard the Betty-O out of Marina del Rey got into a red-hot bite of huge halibut up to 44 pounds.

This year will be the 34th year of the MDR Halibut Derby. One skilled or lucky angler could walk away with three gigantic prizes as well as a load of cash.

Win the 1st Place Prize for the biggest halibut: A fishing trip for two at Beautiful Hotel Punta Colorada, in the amazing East Cape of Baja California. Plus, win the Bonus Prize, if your winning halibut is 40 pounds or more: a fishing trip for two at the luxurious Sitka Point Lodge in pristine Alaska. Plus, if your winning halibut is over 50 pounds, win the Super Grand Prize, and drive away with a new Toyota Tundra Truck, from Marina Del Rey Toyota.

For several decades the Fred Hall Tackle & Boat Show has kicked off the fishing season. It inspires anglers to get out of the house and start thinking about bass, trout, yellowtail, tuna, white seabass and all the other species that make a fisherman’s heart kick it up a notch.

If you want to know what’s new in the way of tackle and technique, if you want to learn about new places to visit and fish, you’ll be one of the thousands who attend this iconic annual event. The Long Beach Convention Center hosts the extravaganza, and the list of vendors and attendees is practically a who’s who of southwestern fishing.

Many of the sport’s top experts take part in this event, offering lectures, demonstrations and free advice to those who want to learn about fishing. When we passed the main stage, we saw Frank LoPreste and Tim Ekstrom telling the audience about equipment, method and technique. In the sport boat business, you can get it right from the horse’s mouth. These two long range skippers have enough knowledge to fill several books, and they’re more than happy to answer any questions.

At the Accurate three-sided booth, Jack Nilsen worked with his sons David and Douglas, Ben Secrest and Jason Fulton. They were all staying very busy answering questions, showing off new reels and selling hats, shirts, jackets, etc. There were a pair of new reels on the counter that appeared to be Boss two-speeds in the 30 and 50 size, minus the pre-set mechanism on the side of the Platinum two-speed Twin Drag series.

The new reels looked light and strong, and I heard someone say they would be coming on to the market at a low price point, maybe half the price of the top of the line series. Pictures were not allowed yet, “…but you can talk about it,” I was told.

All the major salmon resorts seemed to be there, and so were the Baja resorts and sport fishing operations in the Sea of Cortez, like the one started by Tony Reyes out of San Felipe. The show offers a chance to make early reservations for prime times, and maybe a discounted rate. John Ireland, the mellow owner of Rancho Leonero, was there with Gary White and his crew, representing one of the nicest places to fish in the western hemisphere.

The Mustad booth had US corporate VP Steve Tagami, with help from Pete Haynes and Ralph “The Long Ranger” Mikkelsen, the only man I’m aware of who has caught six tuna of 300 pounds. Mustad, the world’s largest hook manufacturer, literally has more hook types than you could shake a stick at. Just lately some prominent skippers like LoPreste have been making good use of the giant 20/0 Mustad 39960 circle hooks, whacking cows under the kite.

Tagami showed us a ringed 3/0 Hoodlum hook that has accounted for tuna up to 170 pounds; not bad for something you’d expect to see used on calico bass or albacore.

We passed the AFTCO booth, where I saw owner Bill Shedd chatting with customers, and shared a howdy with Bill's right-hand man Greg Stotesbury, and a yearly greeting with Guy Harvey, the famous fishing artist who copped that drop-jaw shot of a grander blue marlin within touching distance of the cruiser and angler who'd made the fish angry enough to jump dang near close enough to fall into the cockpit. Luckily, that gnarly beak was pointed the other way. Guy has been at every show for years; I remember him signing T-shirts. Now, he does some of those nice print shirts sold by AFTCO and Blue Water.

Communicators were thick. Pete Gray with Let’s Talk Hookup and Big Tuna Bill Ghiselin had their radio shows represented. Western Outdoor News does the show programs and sells a ton of subscriptions at the show. Editor Rich Holland was walking the show when we crossed paths a couple of times. Editor Brandon Cotton of Fish Rap and The Log was another walker, as was well-known fishing artist Tom Waters, who works closely with his wife Sherry.

San Diego long range boats and landings were present and taking reservations for upcoming trips. Bill Poole was running the Fisherman’s Landing booth when we passed, helped by Excel Chef Jason Fleck. Tom Rothery of the Polaris Supreme was nearby, as were Sam and Lori Patella and partner Brian Kiyohara of the American Angler. Carol Wood and skipper Kevin Cleary talked to visitors at the Intrepid booth, and manager Judy Collins sat with co-owner Paul Strasser of the Independence. Charter operations and LA landings were also seen.

Dennis Braid was showing some new jig heads for salt and fresh water fishing. Two of the more colorful new offerings were the Thumper Squid head, with a round head for vertical jigging, and the Sea Fox, in a more traditional form. Both new Braid jigheads come in weights ranging from ¾ ounces to 10 ½ ounces. Braid rep Jan Howard, one of the southland’s best-known lady anglers, was at the "Knotty Ladies" stand, teaching knot-tying and other aspects of fishing lore.

Tackle is the big deal at the Hall show. Joe Pfister of Seeker had a big crew helping him out at the Seeker display, including top angler Brian Porter. Owner American manager Dennis Yamamoto showed us some new, patented jerk bait hooks and some new light wire hooks appropriately named Gorilla Light hooks in a black chrome finish.

John Todd and the omnipresent Del Marsh of Calstar Rods were close to the Sumo display and Bill Miagawa of Zucker’s. When we passed by, we saw the lovely paint coating the Candy Bar jigs. The upgraded finish matches the rest of the extensive line of Tady iron.

At the Seaguar display I talked with principal John DeVries, out from New York for the event. He showed me the new level wind technique for putting the fluorocarbon on retail spools, and the new cases that prevent the springy stuff from jumping off the spool when you open the case. As an angler who’s spent some time winding leader material back on the spool, I could appreciate that. Seaguar rep Richard “Highstick” Hightower was there in the booth as well, and posed with us.

The biggest display in the show is the Turner’s Outdoorsman store. It’s almost a whole show in itself. Fisherman’s Landing Tackle also appears to have enlarged its store at the show, and manager Doug Kern and his crew were doing the fast shuffle, trying to keep up with customer demand. Numerous other tackle sellers were also working hard, some of them featuring greatly discounted goods; always a reason for anglers to look forward to the event.

We talked with skipper Andy Cates of the Red Rooster III. He said the boat’s leaving Tuesday on a trip to the Hurricane Bank and The Buffer Zone, near the islands of the Revillagigedos archipelago. There’s still room to get on, said Andy, for a shot at cow tuna. This year has been the best I can remember for 300-pounders, so that might not be a bad gamble. There’s a fly back option, for anglers to be dropped off in Cabo March 24 to fly home. The boat will return to H&M Landing March 27.

Charities were also present, doing good work for kids and fishing. We saw skipper Roy Rose and John Collins at the Friends of Rollo counter, and Harry Okuda was at the display for the Make A Wish Foundation. There are others, but these are among the most worthy organizations, and deserving of all the support the fishing community can muster.

I don’t know if the show is bigger this year, but it’s huge; so big that my creaky knees couldn’t make it past every booth in every building last night. By the time I left the main building and stopped by Jon Petty’s jewelry stand I was totally bushed. But it's all just a bit of what artist Paul Sweeney and I saw at the 2008 show. the big show is on, and will run through Sunday.

Like most long rangers, I learned how to fish live bait by fishing for bass from half-day boats in San Diego, Oceanside and other cities. Since then, I’ve discovered that anglers who are good at catching bass are also good at catching tuna and yellowtail. There have been many seasons in recent years, though, when bass were hard to find. That could be changing.

There’s some recent encouragement for south coast inshore anglers who love kelp bass, especially those big sluggers, the bull bass that love to drag you into the kelp stringers and leave you pulling against the bottom.

“I have seen more 10-pound (calico) bass caught this year than any other,” said the well-known local scientist Dr. Larry Allen, in the Fish Taco Chronicles Spring issue.

“Anglers are targeting trophies instead of just numbers,” noted Allen. “Do I think the population is coming back? Yes! Because of catch and release by private boaters and sport boats, who are regularly practicing this on a daily basis.”

Talk about slow growth; Ben Florentino, who wrote the column in FTC, remarked that Tom Murphy’s world record calico was 27 years old, and that another 9.5-pound bass was 34. Murphy got his 14.5-pound fish off Newport Beach in 1995. Maybe this coming season will see a bigger one.

“During spawning,” said Florentino, “…individuals with yellow-orange snouts are males. Fish with golden hues and yellow chins and jaws are usually females.”
That would seem to make the critter shown here, caught off La Jolla, a he. At this time of year, the bass are beginning to show a spring interest in feeding. The spawn will come later, probably in May or June.

Calicos are most common between Pt. Conception and Magdalena Bay, though they can be found in more northern and occasionally more southern places on the West Coast. As many as a million may be caught in a season, by private boaters and sport boat anglers combined.

“Right now,” Oceanside deckhand Nacho Camarena told me Wednesday, “they’re starting to get a few nice bass on plastic baits fished right on the hard bottom near the kelp. You’ve got to keep the bait moving, though. They won’t bite it if it doesn’t wiggle.”

That’s good advice, though you may have to experiment with the speed and amount of movement to learn what’s most enticing to the cold-water bass of early spring. I’d suggest a four or five-inch swim bait like a Fish Trap or AA’s with a quarter or half-ounce leadhead, unless the current or depth demands more weight. A worm might work equally well; I’ve had good luck with Whams and similar baits.

It’s a good idea to release all bass over 16 inches or so, because the big ones are prolific breeders. All anglers should enjoy catching and releasing large kelp bass, and if there are more big ones around these days then good on us.

48-Hour Show Countdown

The Fred Hall Tackle and Boat Show opens in Long Beach at the Convention Center Wednesday after lunch. It’s the largest and most comprehensive event of its type on the Pacific Coast. It’s also a good place to find some tackle bargains or introduce a youngster to the many facets of sport fishing, from that first fish in the trout pond to full-on tuna fishing from long range sportboats.

Whatever’s new, you’ll find it at the show, which will run through Sunday, March 9. The next Hall Show will start at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, on March 26.